Bitten

One

Harry lay back on his stretcher, enjoying the freeness of camping. He had been in this forest for only a few days now and still had another month before he had to return to civilisation for school. He was looking forward to going back to school, seeing his friends, being able to learn in a peaceful time. The war had ended a month and a half ago and he had finally been able to escape to the freedom of the forest. He breathed deeply, allowing the fresh air into his lungs. The moon was glowing bright outside, the silvery glow penetrating the tent walls. Harry allowed his eyes to close, just for them to shoot open a moment later.

A howl had rung through the air. A howl he recognised from his third year. Werewolf.

Harry slowly sat up, trying to figure out where the howl had come from. He silently cursed his stupidity. He had known this was a magical forest, of course werewolves would be here on the full moon. Another howl, closer this time, had adrenaline coursing through his veins. He knew that he couldn't outrun a werewolf. He just hoped that the werewolf wouldn't come near his camp.

His luck didn't hold and just a few minutes later he heard a growl reverberate just outside his tent. The flap opened and a gray wolf stalked in. The wolf's amber eyes were fixed on Harry, and he tried his best to remember what Remus had told him to do, on the off chance he encountered a werewolf and didn't have any silver on him or weapons close by. He remembered Remus instructions and lowered his head, submitting to the wolf in front of him. He didn't make eye contact, leaving his head low and trying to keep his body relaxed. The wolf continued to stalk forward, stopping right in front of him.

Harry felt the wolf's hot breath on the exposed skin on the back of his neck. He managed to hold in a noise of pain as teeth pierced the skin of his left shoulder. He felt the saliva pooling on his skin and knew it would be mixing with his blood. The wolf had removed its teeth and was sitting calmly next to Harry. Harry let out a small sigh and slowly raised his head. When the wolf didn't react, he slowly moved to lay down on his bed. The wolf seemed to know that he needed to sleep, standing and exiting the tent. Harry watched the wolf leave, before allowing his eyes to lose and darkness to overtake him.

Harry woke the next morning, his shoulder painfully throbbing. His memories of the previous night came back to him and he groaned, slowly sitting up. He moved around his tent, gathering the medical supplies he had packed. He used a clean towel to wipe up the blood and saliva, the white cloth coming away almost fully red. He cleaned the bite mark with disinfectant, finishing by wrapping it tightly in a gauze to keep it from opening and bleeding again.

As he finished cleaning his wound, the full reality of what had happened hit him. He had become a werewolf. He sat down, head in his hands, wondering why he could never be normal. He allowed blackness to overtake him again, not caring how early it was or that he had only just got up. As he drifted into unconsciousness, one thought went through his mind.

Shit, how am I going to hide this?